Saturday, February 5, 2011

Currently Reading: Happy Ever After



I am so happy to finally be reading this book. It's been out since November and every shift I worked it would taunt me. I held off buying it though because I thought it'd be pretty silly to buy the fourth book in a series when I didn't own any of the others. I vowed to be patient and wait for it from my lovely local library (hey, look at that unintentional alliteration!). Actually, my mom got it from the library and I borrowed it from her. This means that I have to have it done by the end of tomorrow so I can give it back to her and she can have the time to read it. An attainable goal I think, as I am currently on chapter eleven, page 162 of 355.

The only thing I knew about this series when it first came out was that the first book had an absolutely gorgeous cover. That and it was another book in a long line by Nora Roberts. I never had a huge problem with Roberts, as I knew my mom read them and I know she doesn't read mindless romance novels (and there are many of those!). Within the next year the next three books in the series were released, all with beautiful covers as well - though my favourite is still the first one!


When I moved back home for the summer my mom mentioned a series of books that she thought I would really like, but she couldn't remember what they were called or who wrote them. She hadn't mentioned them to me when she was reading them because I was in school and had less than no time to read for fun. We eventually figured out what they were and I read the first one I was totally hooked.

This series is about four women who are such good friends they may as well be sisters. My favourite part of the whole series? That they own a wedding planning company. Why was I particularly drawn to that aspect? A bit of background on me - I took an event management course last year and toyed with the idea of working for a wedding planner but I ended up taking the fundraising route instead, almost by accident. So, I'm not just one of your average females who are drawn to stories and movies about weddings, but I actually really enjoy the planning aspect of it and the work that goes into making a bride's day perfect.

Each book is focused on a different character, and each one of them is responsible for a different aspect of a wedding. Mac the photographer was first in Visions of White, Emma the florist came next in Bed of Roses, Savor the Moment focused on the baker and cake artiste Laurel, and finally Happy Ever After was about Parker who was the one who looked after all the other necessary details. Did you notice that the titles allude to the job of the character? Cute, isn't it?

As with most romance novels, at the end of each story the main character ends up with a wonderful guy - of course after some sort of issue. I know the formula for these kinds of books and movies, and I'm ok with that. I like seeing how the writer makes the journey to the official relationship or engagement different than all the other stories out there.

What makes these books a little different is that it's not just about the men or falling in love. These women have been friends since they were children and playing Wedding Day in their backyards. They love and respect each other and that comes through in the stories. It makes me think of the relationships with my own friends and how lucky I am to have some of them who know me so incredibly well.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these books. If you like romance - read them. If you like weddings - read them. If you like reading about female friendships - read them. They're sweet, and light, and perfect for a weekend read.

Now, enough writing about this book and more reading it! :)

4 comments:

  1. I always pictured Nora Roberts books for older women until I saw this first cover too. I was so pleasantly surprised :)

    I'm trying to think which one I liked the most and I can't even decide. I hope you like how the series ends. I bet you can guess who Parker's going to end up with :P

    It's so funny because I "read" the first two in the series on audiobook when I had a long drive ahead of me. I physically read the third book and Happy Ever After was the first purchase on my Kindle at Christmas. It's amazing all the different ways you can read these days.

    Fun tidbit: I just glanced at what you're reading now and I just bought One Day by Nicholls on my Kindle. I am having trouble finding time to read it with my placement and all. I didn't even realize that it was being made into a movie. I just saw it on a list somewhere and the plot sounded great. I'm a few chapters in and kind of stuck. You'll need to tell me how it is. Happy reading!

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  2. It's being made into a movie? Thanks for the tip! I'm about a chapter in. Got sidetracked with "Happy Ever After" and needing to finish it and give it back to my mom. I had heard about it last summer and saw lots of great reviews. I'm only a few chapters in too, and am not too sure what I think. I'll keep you posted!
    I did, in fact, guess who Parker ended up with, haha. It was pretty clear with all of them who they would end up with, but that's the fun of the journey bit I mentioned.
    I'm glad you've given Roberts a try, even with your preconceived notions...as that was mine too! Check out some of her other ones if you get a chance...I just finished the second MacKade Brothers book (without reading the first...oops) and that was good. They're light, but they're well written (I'm a tad prejudiced against romance authors, haha) and have a decent story to them.

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  3. For the record I think you're a little young to rule out the possibility that you might end up doing wedding planning at some point. You'd be good at it too I'm sure!
    And it's cool that you're dabbling in romance a little but if you end up as one of those women who buy fifteen or more romance novels a month I may have to stage an intervention ;-)

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